Letters to the editor

I have been writing letters for two or three years now in an effort for a little "fairness" for we, the "independent elderly" of Kansas. You, Legislature, have found time to pass laws giving yourselves raises to meet the rising costs but don't seem to be able to find time to pass a law to raise the level of the Protected Income for we, elderly, who still are able to do things for ourselves, ie: our own cleaning, cooking and laundry.

Why don't you try to live on $475 for a month? You couldn't even live on $475 for one day! Yet, you expect us to do just that, live for a month on $475.

The 1.4-percent raise in our Social Security income brought me from $608 to $617 a month, an increase of $9. It raised my medical Spend Down to $732 from $678 ... meaning I pay the first $732 of my medical bills each six months before I can get the green Medicaid card because my Social Security is $142 over the Protected Income limit. I was blessed to have my rent go down $70 from what it was, but that dropped my food stamps from $67 to $11 starting in March.

Why do you insist on murdering us with stress a little at a time? Why not just use euthanasia and get it over with? I'm tired of the struggle to survive, and trying to keep it together. I am thankful to live in the greatest country in the world, but it saddens me to realize that even the so-called third-world countries have more respect for their elderly.

I had to laugh at a letter I got from Congressman Dennis Moore, supposedly answering my inquiry of this situation. He sent me the SRS guidelines. How does that answer my question of getting the laws changed and bringing them into the 21st century? Even I know the poor SRS con only do what the legislature allows them to do by the laws that are passed. The laws pertaining to this need, need to be updated! There has not been an increase in more than 11 years.

It's difficult enough to live on $3,702 for six months without having to take $732 out of it for medical expenses. You couldn't live on $3,700 in a week much less for six months.

Since my health has improved, I would like to take some kind of a job, but who would hire an almost 68-year-old person and pay health benefits for them? So, I need my medicare and medicaid, which makes me feel a bit worthless, like having raised six children and working the years I was able to, were as nothing.

Please! Please! Do something to make my remaining years less stressful. Find time to pass whatever law it takes to bring the Protected Income for Kansas to a reasonable level.

LorettaMay H. Davis

Baldwin City

To the editor:

This is on behalf of the Rainbow Experience Preschool and the Tri-Delta Sorority House of Baker University regarding the Annual Baldwin City Community Easter Egg Hunt. The Easter Egg Hunt will be April 12 on the Baker University campus beginning at 10 a.m. The Shriner's clowns, will be making animal balloons and the Easter Bunny will attend. The Tri-Delta Sorority will provide games, face painting, a bake sale and various fund raising activities. The Easter egg hunt will begin at 11 a.m. with five different divisions from one year old to fifth grade.

The Tri-Delta Sorority will have a bake sale to benefit a children's cancer charity. There will also be a basket of eggs which sell for 25 cents each. They contain a variety of items such as certificates from McDonald's, Sonic, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Black Jack Diner, mini-golf at The Lodge, a swim pass to the pool for this summer, toys and candy. All proceeds will go to the Tri-Delta Sorority charity fund.

We will have drawings for prizes donated by many Baldwin merchants. These include shirts, hats, sweatshirts, flower baskets, "Taste of the Town" booklets, home interiors, gift certificates, swimming pool passes and dinner certificates.

Bids will be taken at the Santa Fe Market from April 1-11 on five gift baskets packed with great things. Bids will continue at the Easter Egg Hunt until 10:30 a.m. when the auction will be closed and the winners announced.

We would like to express our gratitude to all the local merchants for their support and sponsorship. The support has been overwhelming.

Traci Dickerson

Baldwin City

To the editor:

I am writing this letter in response to the letter by Betty Bullock last week in the Signal. The facts that were let out to the public were wrong. The Marion Springs school has 96 students going in and out of their doors every day with six classes. This making the average per class 16, not 11. Two of these classes are combined classes, one of which has 20 students.

I know this letter will come out after the election, however, this letter is not about the election, it's about getting the facts correct and I felt it to be important to let the public know the real facts.

Marion Springs has been awarded the academic standard of excellence the past three years, which I would hope the district would strive for in all the area schools. If anyone is worried about numbers in our schools, and obviously we are, or we wouldn't have built another elementary in Baldwin. So why are we busing students that live in the Marion Springs area into Baldwin Elementary? Why are these students not going to the school they live near? If you live in Lawrence, you wouldn't get that option. These are true facts?

Mrs. Bullock's comments regarding the lack of communication and the public needing to ask questions, are most definitely correct in that respect. I will add to that, if questions are asked, then by all means they need to be answered, that's how communication works. I will close by saying our facts need to be correct before putting them out to the public.